"knew."
"Okay, I'll pick you up at 7 pm tomorrow night."
"..."
"Is there anything else?"
"That's all... Thank you, Xiaoruo."
-----
Dr. Li, wearing a white coat and carrying a syringe filled with an unknown drug, along with some unfamiliar instruments, approached the bedside. He first injected the medication, then adjusted the machine, and finally inserted some foreign object into her brain.
It hurts so much!!! It feels like my skull is about to crack. Everything is black, I can't move, and I can't scream.
"The situation has improved recently. The detected consciousness is getting stronger, which means there is a greater chance of recovery." That was Li Feiyan's voice, calm, composed, and friendly.
"Thank you, Dr. Li. You've taken care of her all these years, which has kept us from giving up on her."
"Of course," Dr. Li smiled kindly, his footsteps fading into the distance.
-----
"Ah!" Qi Yi'an woke up with a start, clutching his head and sitting up abruptly. Whew, that dream was terrifying!
She got up and looked in the mirror, touching her head to make sure it was intact. Looking at herself in the mirror with suspicion… just how afraid was she of Li Feiyan? That woman had no aura of danger, yet she was a threat at every turn.
Oh well, at least it was just a dream.
The phone screen lit up.
"I'll send someone to pick you up at 9 p.m. tonight."
-----
The dinner was held at the host's villa. Qin Ruoshui had attended many such occasions since childhood, but after a while, she felt a lack of interest. Besides, today was his business circle, and there weren't many familiar faces. She casually drank and socialized for a while, then decided to leave. She went to a secluded corner and called her driver.
"Hey, Lao Cui, come pick me up at this address."
Just as she finished dialing the phone, Qin Ruoshui caught a glimpse of a young woman walking in through the main entrance. Dressed casually and simply, perhaps because of the chilly wind outside, she was still wearing her hoodie, standing out starkly from the heavily made-up women in gowns and high heels present. The woman seemed completely unfamiliar with everyone present, walking straight through the corridor and lobby, led by the butler to the elevator entrance, where she pressed the button. The way she walked…it felt familiar.
While waiting, she took off her hat, revealing shoulder-length, slightly disheveled, jet-black hair, and part of her profile partially obscured by it. Her fair, straight nose and… before Qin Ruoshui could even discern her features, she stepped into the elevator.
"Hello, Miss Qin? Hello? Excuse me..." Old Cui asked on the phone.
"What? Oh, no need to wait for him, just pick me up." Qin Ruoshui absentmindedly hung up the phone and walked towards the elevator.
The numbers on the display screen kept rising to the 3rd floor.
She reached out and pressed the up button.
----
That evening, Qi Yi'an received a message from Li Feiyan after arriving at the villa.
Dr. Li: Please wait for me on the third floor. I'll be done in a little while.
Dr. Li: If you're bored, just wander around by yourself for a bit.
Flat-headed Little Lynx: Can I watch anything?
Dr. Li: Yes, anything is fine.
Dr. Li: If I see anything I shouldn't see, I'll just kill you. [Cute emoji]
"Hiss," Qi Yi'an gasped, "this woman is truly terrifying."
She wandered around the third floor. It was truly a mansion, with a very interesting layout. She walked to a room in the corner of the third floor. She found a small staircase leading directly upstairs. After going up, she discovered that the upstairs room seemed to be an aviation-themed room? There was no door leading out, but there was a skylight that allowed her to climb out to the roof of the fourth-floor attic.
On the shelves were models of airplanes, fighter jets, and helicopters, along with helmets and goggles. Flight bags and notebooks sat on the table. Air Force uniforms, flight suits, and several framed photos hung on the wall, mostly group pictures. Besides these, numerous boxes and crates of various sizes were piled on the floor. Dust was visible everywhere in the room. As Qi Yi'an examined the photos, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Before she could turn around, something pressed against her back.
Her body stiffened at the sudden touch. The room was quiet; not even the two of them could hear each other breathing.
...
"Bang!"
A bright female voice behind him made the onomatopoeia of gunfire, then laughed to herself.
Author's Note:
Overcome procrastination!
Chapter 24 Little Fool.
Qin Ruoshui stepped out of the elevator, looking left and right for the woman. The door to a room at the end of a corridor on the third floor was open, and lights were on inside; someone must be inside.
Even though she knew that this might be an invasion of privacy without the homeowner's permission, she still walked over instinctively.
She had only taken a few steps when a sharp pain shot through her head, and everything went black. She clutched her head in disbelief, her other hand gripping the wall for support. How strange, what was happening? Her mind was filled with a cacophony of mechanical noises and human voices; her head throbbed with an excruciating pain, as if her skull were being pierced. She struggled to keep herself from collapsing. Just then, the phone rang, "Ms. Qin,"
"Hey... Old Cui... You've arrived, right? Come to the third floor quickly... I'm here..." Qin Ruoshui said weakly, enduring the excruciating pain.
The footsteps faded into the distance. She gasped for breath, her vision barely returning. Then more footsteps approached… “Miss Qin, what’s wrong? Shall I take you to the hospital?” It was Old Cui…
-----
"Bang!"
Qi Yi'an turned around in surprise and saw Li Feiyan grinning as she gestured with her hand as if she were stabbing a gun into the back of her heart.
"Phew, that scared me to death!"
"Hahahaha," Li Feiyan laughed and patted her bottom. "How did you sneak into this room?"
"Are you a pilot?" Qi Yi'an asked curiously.
Li Feiyan opened the drawer. "It used to be like that."
"And then what?"
"Later, I retired from the army, joined a mercenary group, became the boss's woman, killed him, and became the boss myself. Isn't that awesome? Hahaha."
"...Your story is quite imaginative." Really? ...He's just spouting nonsense, Qi Yi'an thought to himself.
"Impressive, huh?" Li Feiyan raised an eyebrow smugly. She took a small gun from the drawer, cocked it, aimed it at Qi Yi'an, and said with a grin, "See how capable I am? Want to come and do some work for me?"
"..." Qi Yi'an remained expressionless, but in reality, his entire body was covered in goosebumps like a frightened cat. Why did this woman always like to intimidate people so much? Before Qi Yi'an could answer...
She pulled the trigger, "bang," but the gun was empty.
"Ugh, Li Feiyan, can you please stop being so childish!"
"Hahaha, I just love teasing you. Okay, it's settled then. You'll come work for me after the holiday." "Hey! I didn't say that..."
"Mmm..." The next second, her lips were gently sealed by a kiss, carrying a sweet floral scent. Qi Yi'an forgot what she was going to say next, and responded softly. There was also a hint of alcohol... though it always reminded her of medical alcohol.
"I see a lot of guests downstairs. Are you very busy?" She gently sniffed Li Feiyan's hair.
"It's okay~ Someone else will do all the troublesome things for me... We... just need to do our own thing..."
The atmosphere became warm and inviting.
Li Feiyan moved closer to her, pinning her against the table. Qi Yi'an braced herself against the table with one hand, while reaching out with the other to find Li Feiyan's hand, disarming her and interlocking their fingers.
Xxxxxxxxxxx This text is in other corners of the world xxxxxxxxxxx
-----
"Miss Qin, you should go to the hospital for a check-up. Your health is the most important thing."
Qin Ruoshui lay in the back seat of the car, her hand pressed against her forehead. "No need." What was that just now? It was really strange. The pain came suddenly, and then she lost all feeling for a moment. "Old Cui, just take me to X neighborhood."
“You were in so much pain that you couldn’t even stand up. When I noticed you, you were so pale and sweating profusely. It would be better if you went to get checked out.”
"..." Qin Ruoshui thought for a moment, too lazy to argue with him, "Hmm."
That makes sense; she couldn't bear such pain a few more times. Ah, as people get older, they have to start taking care of their health.
------
I was in the emergency room late at night, and then I had a full set of tests done the next afternoon, but the results showed nothing wrong. Even if there were some minor issues, they were very mild and didn't require medication. The doctor's advice was mostly general suggestions like a healthy diet and getting enough sleep.
Qin Ruoshui has lived for over thirty years. Whether she has achieved any major accomplishments is irrelevant; what's most admirable about her is that she has maintained physical and mental health for most of her life, with a stable and leisurely mood, a work-life balance, and a high level of happiness and contentment. She rarely suffers from illness or negative emotions. Now, facing her strange, excruciating pain and a perfectly normal medical report, she thinks... maybe she's just getting old...
"Finally done, Lao Cui, can you take me to X neighborhood now? Hey, can you take the medical report to Dad for me? I knew you'd been tattling on me all the time. I'm a grown man now." Qin Ruoshui walked back to the car and saw Lao Cui hanging up Qin Weilin's call on his phone, and complained a few times.
"Okay, okay," Old Cui said with an embarrassed smile, "Children are still children, no matter how old they are." He had been working for Qin Weilin since he was young, and had practically watched the two siblings grow up.
It was already dark when they arrived at the residential area, so Qin Ruoshui told him to leave the car behind and go home on his own.
200330
Pushing open the door, it was as dark and silent as ever.
Qin Ruoshui sighed softly, turned on the light, and went to the refrigerator to get some water.
The refrigerator seems emptier... but that's probably just my imagination, since I haven't been here for a while.
She went to the balcony, leaned against the railing, and drank some water, recalling the strange headache she had experienced the previous night. The headache was accompanied by auditory hallucinations; amidst the chaotic, excruciating pain, she thought she heard someone calling… “Dr. Li…?”
Never mind, it's not important. Early to bed and early to rise is still the best way to stay healthy. She planned to pour the remaining water in her glass onto the small plant on the balcony before going to sleep, but she discovered that the plant had somehow become plump again, full and swollen, a stark contrast to its previous withered and shriveled appearance.
Then, Qin Ruoshui noticed that although the bathroom was still dry, there was a newly taken towel hanging on the wall, a new toothbrush in front of the mirror, milk was missing from the refrigerator, the pillow smelled different, and there was a half-smoked cigarette butt in a small dish in the corner of the kitchen…
She came here.
She...smokes now?
The trash can still had some unemptied garbage, indicating she would likely return. Given her slightly obsessive-compulsive personality, she would never leave trash in the room after leaving. Sensing traces of another person's presence, Qin Ruoshui's lips subtly curled upwards.
Could the person I saw yesterday also be her?
It's been a long time.
-----
It was already night when Qi Yi'an got home.
She opened the door and was surprised to find a pair of high heels on the shoe rack by the door. A lipstick lay casually on the cabinet in the entryway. A bag was tossed on the sofa. A trench coat hung on the coat rack in the living room. A few drops of rosé remained in the glass on the bar table. The bathroom was damp and slightly steamy, with a few water droplets clinging to the mirror. And there was the fragrance of the steam in the bathroom—that woman's scent.
She is here.
Qi Yi'an suppressed his inner joy and excitement, his face beaming with an uncontrollable smile, and quietly but hurriedly washed up.